Poisoned
by xFamousxlastxwordsx
Summary: Follows after G.I. Joe The Movie. Cobra Commander lives, his mind just as poisoned as the venom he now carries, however, his determination is strong as ever. His goal? To hunt down his former lackies, but with the help of a zoologist, Stacey, he might be able to return to his former glory. Supreme Ruler of COBRA!
1. Chapter 1

Stacey Johnson, made her way into the Reptile exhibits nursery. For the twenty five year old, this was her dream job. The Jacksonville Zoo had just received a new shipment of reptiles, but she was only interested in one. A snake. The creature was found along a frozen, nearly dead. She wasn't sure which she was more amazed of, how far the snake was from it's natural habitat, that it survived the bitter cold or that it wasn't killed by some northern hick.

Stacey paused seeing her co worker, Cody Taylor. Tall, muscular, red hair and eyes as cold as ice, yet they always seemed so inviting to her. However inviting they seemed though.. she had to keep herself away. Though she needed him now. The only person more enthusiastic about this extraordinary snake than her was Cody.

"Where is it?" She asked as she began to place her dark brown hair into a pony tail.

"HE is warming his scales beneath a sun lamp. And there he will stay." Cody retorted with a grin.

Stacey smirked. "He? Well then, you went over his examination without me?" She asked with a pout but Cody shook his head. "Not all of it, only what we could. Gender, color, and weight." He said waiting for Stacey's reaction. Shock and angercame into view.

"You're joking. You don't even know the breed of it?" She asked, but before she could create anymore of a scene, Cody pulled her into the facilitys sun room. In the tank where they would normally keep the andacondas, lay a sleeping snake. It's scales a golden brown, It looked to be a Cobra, but it was much to large, for any Cobra.

"..What is it?" Stacey asked in a whisper.

"We don't know. We requested a expert to come and examine him.."

Stacey smiled going going closer to the tank. She extended her hand out to touch the glass, and just as it made contact the snake's eyes shot open. His eyes glaring into hers for waking him from his slumber.

"Oh wow. He's really got a personality to him.." She whispered, as the cobra began to uncoil itself.

"Yea, well it has about a hundred seventy pounds of sheer bad attitude, so I suggest you keep your distance." He said sternly which only made Stacey laugh looking over her shoulder.

"Oooo.. Are you scared of him?" She asked with a grin, but Cody shook his head.

"Not scared. Respectful. This... Cobra has come a long way. It may be one ofthe largest snake ever found.." But Stacey frowned.

"...So is it a Cobra?" She asked in curiousity, her eyes back on the snake, whose eyes never left hers.

It happened in seconds. The moment Stacey tapped the glass The Cobra revealed its hood, extended fully out, but unlike most snakes, who would wait for another reason to strike, this single tap was all it needed. The glass shattered, spraying and slicing the two, but that was the least of their worries. The cobra coiled itself around stacey, keeping her in a tight grip, but not enough to squeeze the life from her.

Stacey held her breath as the sakes face came closer to her own. It's fangs could slice though her, without a doubt. She began wonder if the bite would kill her before the venom had a chance. The serpent gave a tight squeeze, triggering a yelp from the young zoologist. She heard Cody call for security, but that didn't catch her attention for long.

"I wassss once a man..." spoke out in a hiss. Stacey's eyes shot open to look at the Cobra once more.

Was she going crazy? Snakes didn't talk. Maybe in Harry Potter, but not in the real world. She began to believe that the snake had already bitten her, but there came no pain. Only that voice once again.

"I wassss once a man..." it hissed once more.

Stacey swallowed hard. "What … What are you...?" She asked. The Cobra was silent now. Glaring at her with those unforgiving eyes. ".. What are you?!" She asked once again.

"I was once... I wasss once- Cobra." It hissed before releasing her, retreating into the main exhibit area, and into the public.

Cody rushed to Stacey's side,. "Stacey? Stacey did it bite you?"

Stacey remained silent. Was she going mad? No. She heard it speak... but.. she had heard that voice before..

"...It was Cobra." She whispered

"No shit Sherlock, what I want to know it why didn't it eat you?!" Cody growled getting Stacey to her feet but she shook her head.

"No. Not A cobra... But Cobra. Cobra Commander.." She whispered looking back to Cody. "That was Cobra Commander."


	2. Chapter 2

"Johnson, I want you to take a few days off." Mr. Wayne said roughly from behind his desk, cigar in mouth as he filled out files .He was a heavier set man with dark brown hair and a thick mustache to match. Mr. Wayne was the head director of the zoo. No stone was turned unless he said so.

"Sir, I'm fine, really!" She started, trying to sound demanding but it came out rather weak and unsure which Mr. Wayne look up from his work.

"Johnson. You, and I quote, that the snake was Cobra Commander, and it spoke to you." He said without blinking. ".. You're clearly traumatized. Or maybe that snake cut off oxygen to your brain." He said with a slight smirk which got a frown out of the young woman.

"Mr. Wayne please don't sent me home. I want to help find him!" She pleaded, but the man's mind was already made.

"Johnson. Go home before I make this unpaid leave." He snapped. Defeated, Stacey left the office to gather her belongings.

Once out of her uniform and in her street clothes Stacey made her way for the parking lot. It was a perfect summer evening, warm with a cool breeze which hinted at a summer thunder storm later in the night.

Stacey knew she should have been thankful, after all, it wasn't every day you survive a snake attack. Still, she knew what she heard. The snake spoke, and he said he was Cobra. What she didn't understand was how. The Joe's announced that they had defeated Cobra Commander once and for all; that he perished after an attempt to rule the world.

She remembered seeing him on the television, for a terrorist Cobra Commander never seemed to worry about being caught. He had more face time than most news anchors. It always amazed her how the government could never catch him, yet he would never win. A constant battle. But it's been over a year since the days of terror from Cobra, and G.I. Joe was in the process of being disbanded now. It seemed that the world no longer needed the Joes.

Stacey opened the door to her jeep and sped home, in need of some R and R.

Once in her apartment Stacey took one look at her answering machine to see the red light indicating she had messages awaiting her. She already knew who it would be calling her. Cody. Most likely to nag her about what happened, that she was crazy, but more importantly that she should go see him. Have a drink at his place. And normally, she wouldn't pass up the opportunity, but normally she also wasn't caught up in thoughts relating to terrorist turned into snakes.

Settling in she turned on the news. Though Cobra was gone, the aftermath remained. Economic problems due to the down fall of Extensive Enterprises with proof of its affiliation to terrorist activities, sicknesses that plagued poorer nations who could afford cures to Cobra diseases and every now and again issues would arise from former members of Cobra, but never in the scale that they once operated.

Just last month a museum was broken into, rare jewels being the only item that was missing, with evidence pointing to The Baroness and a few days after that M.A.R.S Industry introduced a revolutionary laser beam which could slice nearly any metal in less than a minute.

It was rumored that Major Bludd was now occupying rebel camps in Africa, training the soldier's effective military strategic plans and in return he would get a cut of the blood diamonds the rebels were able to keep.

The Twins, Tomax and Xamot, were locked away after they were found to be connected to Cobra.

Zartan was still on the loose with his gang The Dreadnocks, committing pettier crimes here and there.

As for Dr. Mindbender and Serpentor, their whereabouts were unknown to this day.

Stacey sighed heavily turning off the T.V. It didn't matter if Cobra was still around or not. The world was still as messed up as ever. She glanced at the clock which read back to her 8:08. By no means was she an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl but with the events that took place she certainly did owe it to her body to get the rest it so craved. She didn't even bother changing into suitable sleep attire, she just kicked off her boots at the edge of the bed and passed out still in her cargo pants and gray tank top.

* * *

Somewhere on the other side of the globe, Dr. Mindbender tended to Serpentor's will, along with what little remained of the Cobra Forces. For now the main priority was damage control and recovery, and this task was easier said than done.

Though Cobra Commander hardly ever had a successful turnout in his schemes, he always remained resilient. Even in defeat he would be able to bounce back in moral, funds and troops. Dr. Mindbender was now discovering that with all the DNA of great conquerors, not one of those men held their cool in defeat. Serpentor was as wretched as ever. Demanding for progress that was not possible in their situation.

"What do you mean that we can't afford more troops?!" Serpentor roared, outraged at his creator, but by no means did he treat him by such respect.

"Great Serpentor," Dr. Mindbender began, doing his best to butter up the ruthless being. "It's just for now. I will be able to supply you with the best troops money can buy, but not until we have an income that can support such operations!"

"Silence!" Serpentor demanded as he stood from his throne. "We will get more troops and destroy those Joes once and for all! This I command!"

Dr. Mindbender didn't have the energy to argue anymore. He had regretted creating the beast of a man for quite some time. Still. He preferred Serpentor over Cobra Commander, but only because everything Cobra Commander touched turned to ruins. And so far, Serpentor only did the orders.

"As you wish, Serpentor." Dr. Mindbender replied, and without another word he dismissed himself, retreating to his lab.

When he first started at Cobra, he had his own staff support team, but now he did most of the assignments himself. Luckily for him Serpentor had sent in a small unit to raid an ecological study team in Africa while in search for Major Bludd who went AWOL after the last encounter with the Joes. Any chance Dr. Mindbender had to recruit brilliant minds he took. Granted, normally the recruits were less than thrilled to be given the opportunity to join COBRA, but in the end most were persuaded to work when the alternative was death.

For now his main goal find the former Cobra leaders. If he couldn't give Serpentor troops, he would try to do the next best thing and offer him his abandoners. Dr. Mindbender was right on the tail of Bludd, he could almost hear the man's accent now. Tomax and Xamot were found, but retrieving them would be a difficult task, one that would have to wait until Destro and The Baroness were back within the forces of Cobra. If they wanted to come back that was. As for Zartan and his band of lowlifes, Mindbender didn't care to see them ever again. He also searched for Storm Shadow as well as Fire Fly, but if Storm Shadow was to be found, it would only be if he wanted to be found, and when it came to Fire Fly all he would have to do was put out a ransom and the man would turn himself in to collect it. A true Mercenary.

"D-D-D- Doctor?" Called one of the newest recruits. Mindbender glared in the man's direction and approached him.

"What is it?"

"Well Sir, y-you said you wanted me to keep tabs on reports on any snake reports..."

"If this is about another snake eating a damn pet I swear I'll-"

"No sir!" The lackey interrupted, not wanting to hear the consequences. "It seems that the Jacksonville Zoo just received a new species of Snake." He squeaked. "The reptile weighed in at one hundred seventy pounds, approximately six feet long-"

"Bah! It's just a python or something of that nature." Mindbender spat but the man quickly shook his head showing off the file.

"No sir! They reported that this snake had more Cobra qualities than anything else." Now the doctor's interests were peaked.

"… Continue." He mused sitting down at a lab table, watching the man intently.

"…Well… unfortunately the snake escaped. It attacked one of the workers and fled the zoo." He whispered, hoping the information would suffice for the Doctor who was now silent.

The only thing other than reuniting the useful members of Cobra that would improve his master's mood was by presenting him with the pathetic remains of Cobra Commander. It wouldn't accomplish much on a global scale, but it would dramatically change Serpentor, at least for a short time. Have the Commander locked up in some glass prison to be gawked at was where he belonged anyway. Or if Serpentor wanted to behead him, that was fine too. After all, even in snake form, the Commander hindered Serpentor's opportunity to destroy a Joe.

Without looking up, Dr. Mindbender ordered the scientist to gather his belongings for a trip. He had to put together a small extraction team. First thing he had to do was to find the one who was attacked by the snake, but the hardest part would be locating the serpent. Finding a snake in Florida was like trying to find a needle in a needle stack. They were everywhere and it could be a painful process. Regardless, it was a priority of his now. To please Serpentor was to please himself, and he couldn't see a more perfect gift than the once leader of Cobra as a pet.

Serpentor still blamed the Commander for the results of spores not working. Had the Commander not saved Lt. Falcon, humanity would have been destroyed. Dr. Mindbender was still unsure if he liked that fact or not. The end goal was to rule the world, yes, but to rule a planet with humanoid animals. Would that really matter? The world would start anew, history of mankind would eventually be lost to time, so everything they did wouldn't truly matter.

Dr. Mindbender gave a heavy sigh. That was the past, Serpentor was moving onto the next scheme, still world domination, but just not as progressively. All in good time, the doctor assured his leader as well as himself time and time again. All in good time.

* * *

Two days into mandatory leave and Stacey was already antsy. Cody informed her that no progress was made on finding the Snake, and the press was more wound up than ever. The snake made the first page of the local paper both days, and each article warned readers not to go out, and to certainly not go to the zoo, because who knew what the keepers would let out next.

Stacey couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. Cody warned her that he was trouble, but she didn't figure that the beastly snake would break out of the tank, nor the Zoo.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her telephone rings, she didn't hesitate to pick up.

"Hello?" She asked, hoping it was Mr. Wayne, begging her to come back to work. Instead she was greeted by Cody's voice.

"Stace, you got a sec?"

"Yea, what's up Cody? Did you guys catch up to the snake yet?"

"No, Wayne called off the search a minute ago. Turns out that the snake is property to some eco corporation, so they are taking the search on from here, but listen, I managed to get a blood sample from the snake before you came and the results just got back, but the DNA isn't a match to any snake."

Stacey rolled her eyes as her fingers began to twirl the cord.

"Yea, so? Those corporate bastards must be injecting the poor thing with hormones or something."

"No Stacey, I mean this snake doesn't share a single trait to snakes... other than looking like one. In fact… looking at the strands... I would guess it's human."

"Shut up, are you serious?!" She shouted. "What company did these guys say they were from?"

"I don't remember, but look, they are on their way to your place now, just to ask you a few questions so don't go anywhere. Alright?"

Stacey sighed and gave a nod. "Yeah. I got it. Did Wayne mention anything about me coming back now that the snake isn't our problem?"

"Sorry kid, no such luck. Looks like you have another five days off." She could hear his smile over the phone.

"Damn it-"She hissed when a knock came at the door. "That's them now. Look I got to go, I'll talk to you later Cody." She spoke back, not allowing Cody anymore speaking time she hung up the phone. She cursed her lazy tendency. It was half past noon and she was in a pair of sweats with a David Bowie tee, hair in a ponytail.

Perfect. Let's talk to a bunch of high end executives that torture animals for a living while I look like trailer trash.

Not having time to change she opened the door to her apartment to greet the men, but instead she met with a butt of a rifle, hitting the floor. Before blacking out, she recognized the international symbol of terror. Cobra.

* * *

**So here we have Chapter 2, I'm honestly winging it now, its going to be a lengthy process to get this story on a roll but we'll see! Any input on where I should take the story is much appreciated. Hope you guys like it so far! Really trying to keep with the times for this story.**


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